An Essential Tutorial On How To Unlock An iPhone 5

The Ultimate Guide On How To Unlock iPhone's

So, you have finally completed the contract on your iPhone and that bad boy's eventually all yours. That means you’re able to use it while traveling abroad with a local SIM card and are free to switch networks when you want, right? Don’t start booking your flight to Paris or running to Verizon quite yet because, unfortunately, it’s not quite that straightforward.

In order to stop somebody from transferring to a competitor’s network before they’ve payed off their iPhone or satisfied their contract, lots of carriers put a SIM lock (also known as a carrier lock) on their phones. This consequently means that you, or whomever you sell your second-hand iPhone to, are stuck with them for the long term. If you’re thinking this sounds like a pretty dysfunctional arrangement, we’d tend to agree with you. Luckily, with a bit of effort as well as an account in good order, you can be on your way to a network-unlocked iPhone very quickly!

Before we continue, a quick note on the sort of unlocks that are available, and the one's you should steer clear of! There is software available on the market offering the capability to unlock a phone yourself, but they require you to jailbreak your mobile phone, and this is inadvisable, for many reasons. You can do your own homework into jail-breaking, but it's not a sensible choice, and to be avoided. The simplest way to unlock your iPhone is actually talking directly with your wireless provider. The journey to a carrier-unlocked iPhone relies largely on your network, with the procedure being either relatively quick and painless or painfully difficult. To get you a step closer to a life free of carrier-locked tyranny, we put together all the steps to be able to obtain an iPhone unlock with this comprehensive guide. Please be aware that even though this was written with iPhone owners in mind, a lot of the recommendations could be used with other smartphones.

What Is Network Unlocking?

As mentioned earlier, when you buy an iPhone or another smartphone from a network carrier, that phone is only going to work on that network until you either request to have your network unlock it or your carrier automatically unlocks it for you (read more about that later). Also referred to as a SIM unlock, factory unlock, or network unlock, carrier unlocking means removing a network’s restrictions on a device, letting you use it with a different cellular provider.

Luckily, not every iPhone require unlocking. For example, should you buy your iPhone from Apple and pay it off in full, it should be unlocked and ready to use with a variety of carriers.

Please be aware, however, not all phones purchased outright from third-party retailers are automatically unlocked. In particular, although sold as “unlocked”, cell phones bought at Best Buy are in fact considered universal. So, if you insert a SIM card for the first time, the iPhone will essentially lock itself to the carrier associated with the SIM card. Then, because certain service providers like T-Mobile may only unlock your iPhone if you purchased it directly from them, you can end up having an eternally network-locked device. Basically, you wind up paying factory-unlocked prices to get a network-locked mobile phone.

Why would I Unlock My iPhone?

Possessing a IMEI-unlocked iPhone comes with a good number of benefits which include the flexibility to use (virtually) any network in the US and abroad and higher resale values.

Carrier-unlocking offers you the flexibility to use your phone with the cellular provider of your choice, almost wherever and whenever you wish (with a handful of exceptions, as you’ll find out later). For instance, if you're currently using T-Mobile but are relocating to a new area of the country with bad T-Mobile coverage, you'll be able to switch to AT&T on a dime

A SIM-unlocked iPhone makes international travel a cinch. Unlocking also offers you the flexibility to use your mobile phone in foreign countries. Worldwide roaming fees, costly international plans, and mad dashes for WiFi become a distant memory with an unlocked iPhone. Just pop in a SIM card from a local carrier and you're good to go.

Carrier-unlocked iPhones have considerably higher resale values.

Even if you don’t anticipate swapping carriers or traveling internationally anytime soon, unlocking your iPhone is still a smart idea. Should you ever anticipate trading in your old iPhone once you upgrade, you’ll more often than not get more cash for it if the iPhone is already network unlocked due to greater interest in them on the resale market place.

Is it illegal to IMEI Unlock your mobile phone?

Not at all! Thanks to the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2014, all US-based cellular providers must allow customers to unlock their phones. However, the conditions under which a carrier will unlock a cell phone vary widely from provider to provider. On the whole, the vast majority of providers require you to finish your contract, cover your financial obligations in full, or at least have an account in good standing before they’ll allow you to unlock your iPhone.

The way to verify that your iPhone is Unlocked

Before starting the phone-unlocking process, you’ll first need to find out if your iPhone has already been unlocked (no need in dealing with the hassle when you don’t really need to). All you have to do is be sure that you’re connected with WiFi and insert a brand-new SIM card from a different network provider and your smartphone will do the rest automatically. This verification check normally takes less than a minute to complete as soon as a Sim card has been inserted.

Throughout the verification procedure, you’ll see that your iPhone will boot onto a white screen and try to confirm that it has been unlocked with your service provider. Should Apple confirm that your iPhone is SIM-unlocked, it will return to the home screen and service bars will appear from the new carrier. However, if you see a white screen that says SIM Not Supported, your cellphone will not be unlocked.

How to Unlock iPhones from any Network

Having established your cell phone is definitely locked to your current cellular provider, next you will need to look at your carrier’s unlocking eligibility requirements. Should your iPhone meet those guidelines, you can request that the device can be unlocked from their network. As suggested earlier, both the eligibility requirements and the unlocking process vary from provider to provider. Each has been outlined below for the major carriers including Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T.

Please note that, as long as you’ve met the unlock conditions and therefore are completing the network-unlocking directly with your service provider, asking for your iPhone be unlocked can be completely free. If you want to go through a 3rd party unlocking service provider, you have to pay for the privilege, but using a third party service is your only option if you are not the original owner of the phone. So, before you spend any money, try using the directions below beforehand.

Find An iPhone’s IMEI Number

When IMEI-unlocking your iPhone, you'll have to give your service provider your cell phones IMEI number. This unique, 15-digit identifier is fundamentally your mobile phone’s VIN or social security number. To locate your IMEI, on your phone, select Settings > General > About and search to the bottom section where you'll see it displayed next to IMEI.

You could also locate the IMEI number on the phone shell itself. For earlier iPhone models (1st-generation SE, 5s, 5c, 5, 6, 6 Plus), the number will also be printed on the back or the SIM tray.

Once you’ve located the IMEI number, it highly advisable that you store it someplace for safekeeping.

Unlock an iPhone on AT&T

Unlocking an iPhone from AT&T is about as uncomplicated as 1, 2, 3. Just pop on across to the AT&T unlock portal, answer a couple of questions, and you’re well on your way to carrier-unlocked freedom.

After you submit your request, use your IMEI and request reference numbers to check on your AT&T unlock status. After you get your validation text or email, just open it up then click on the verification link. That’s it! AT&T will unlock your iPhone in just a couple of business days.

For any iPhone to get unlocked from the AT&T network, it has to meet the following requirements:

If it is a work phone, you must have your employer’s permission to unlock it
If it is an AT&T PREPAID phone, it must be active for at least six months
Must not be reported as lost, stolen, or blocked
Must not have a past-due balance
Must not be active on a different AT&T account

If your iPhone is part of a term agreement or installment plan, it requires to also meet these requirements:

The installment plan must be paid off
The term agreement must be complete
The device must be active on the AT&T network for at least 60 days

For detailed eligibility requirements, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Sprint

Dependent on when you acquired your phone and if it has got SIM-unlock capabilities, there are a couple of different unlock choices. If you purchased a new iPhone from Sprint after February 2015 (it will be SIM-unlock capable) and it is actively being used on their network, Sprint should unlock it automatically once it meets their qualifications requirements. So, you honestly don’t have to do anything more besides keep your account in good order. Even so, if your iPhone is inactive or was purchased prior to February 2015, you’ll need to get in touch with Sprint Customer Care directly to request an unlock (either dial *2 on your Sprint phone or phone 888-211-4727).

There has been reports from some Sprint users that the auto-unlock program doesn't always work as it needs to, so it’s undoubtedly a good idea to verify that your iPhone is unlocked before trying to move to a different provider or advertising your iPhone as unlocked, if you propose to sell it to a buyback company or on craigs list.

In order for an iPhone to get unlocked from the Sprint network, it needs to meet the following requirements:

Must not be reported as lost, stolen, or associated with fraud
Must have SIM-unlock capabilities (if it doesn’t, it is MSL (Master Subsidy Lock) locked and you will need to call Sprint for the MSL code)
Must be active on the Sprint network for at least 40 days
Must be on an account in good standing

If your iPhone is part of a service agreement, lease agreement, or installment plan, it's got to also adhere to these requirements:

If leased, the end-of-lease purchase option must be fully paid
Any early-termination fees must be fully paid
Any lease or installment payments must be fully paid

For detailed eligibility conditions, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on T-Mobile

If you’re an Android smartphone owner reading this and your handset meets the eligibility prerequisites, consider yourself in luck: You can unlock it easily from the device itself. For those iPhone owners out there, you’ll need to get in touch with T-Mobile’s Team of Specialists directly (either dial 611 from your T-Mobile iPhone, call 877-746-0909.

To have an iPhone unlocked from the T-Mobile network, it has got to meet the following prerequisites:

Must have been purchased directly from T-Mobile
Must be paid for in full
Must not have been reported as lost, stolen, or blocked
For prepaid accounts, it must have been active on the account for at least 12 months

If the iPhone is part of a postpaid plan, it must also meet the following prerequisites:

The account must be in good standing
Must have been active on the account for at least 40 days

For detailed eligibility conditions, click here.

Unlock an iPhone on Verizon

Verizon is, by far and away, the top provider to use for unlocking an iPhone. Why? Because Verizon will automatically unlock your phone Sixty days after the purchase of the device. If you purchased your iPhone from a retail partner, it can be unlocked automatically 60 days after device activation.

There are no catches. You don’t have to pay off your phone, fulfill any specific conditions, or even contact them to ask to unlock your phone from their network. As long as your iPhone hasn’t been reported stolen or lost, simply wait a couple of months following purchase or activation and your phone will be a-ok.

Don’t believe us? Just click here.

Once I've Unlocked my iPhone — what now?

In the past, you’d need to hook your iPhone to iTunes and complete a software restore to perform the unlock procedure. Luckily, it’s much easier nowadays. All you have to do is follow the same steps you took earlier to determine whether your phone was already unlocked to begin with.

If you don’t have access to a SIM card from a different carrier, you can still verify that a iPhone has been unlocked by performing iTunes software restore. Just hook up your iPhone with a computer running iTunes and press the “restore” option. Once the restoration process has completed, you should see a message that says “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked.”

Great job! You successfully network-unlocked your iPhone! That means you're able to use what ever service provider you want to now, yes? We hate be the bearer of bad news, but sadly not. Due to the two different kinds of systems employed in the US, CDMA and GSM, your available cell phone providers is dependent upon the model of your iPhone and the original carrier it's locked to. Primarily, Verizon and Sprint are CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) networks, while AT&T, T-Mobile, and the majority of service providers in other countries are GSM (Global System for Mobiles) networks.

As you’ve probably guessed, these two different network types will not talk to each other (because that's too logical). Fortunately, as we approach world-wide 5G access and as older networks are phased out, this will hopefully cease to be an issue.

To find out which networks you have access to determined by both these factors, keep on reading.

AT&T

GSM networks only (AT&T, T-Mobile, international GSM carriers): Original iPhone, iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X

Any carrier worldwide: iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max

Sprint

International networks only: iPhone 4s and iPhone 5

Any carrier worldwide: iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max

T-Mobile

GSM networks only (AT&T, T-Mobile, international GSM carriers): Original iPhone, iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X

Verizon

Compatible with any carrier in the world, but with limitations when using GSM networks: iPhone 4s, iPhone 5

Any carrier worldwide: iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max

Is the Unlock permanent?

Yes! Once your phone has been network-unlocked, it's going to remain that way for the lifetime of the handset. It is possible to restore your iPhone or update software without worrying about your unlock vanishing afterwards.

About This Author

Russell Abdi
Joined: February 8th, 2021

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